Observe the last three days of Holy Week with the early morning prayer service, Tenebrae, at 6 a.m. on Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Holy Saturday in the Chapel of St. Basil, hosted by the Franciscan Sisters of the Eucharist.

An ancient Lenten prayer, Tenebrae means darkness, and it combines the psalms and readings of Matins and Lauds. The prayer begins in a darkened church, with only the illumination of a lighted 15-candle candelabra on the altar. After each psalm, a candle is extinguished until only the center candle remains lit, symbolizing Christ. The service ends at dawn, and all leave in silence.

“The Franciscan Sisters have prayed Tenebrae for many years,” said Sister Mary Roberta Connors, FSE. “We used to invite friends to our small convent chapel. Interest grew to the point that about seven years ago, we opened it to the public and moved it to the Chapel of St. Basil.”

Everyone is welcome to attend. To volunteer to be a reader, email Sister Mary Roberta at connormr@stthom.edu.

Students from the University of St. Thomas Carol and Odis Peavy School of Nursing parti...

University of St. Thomas
The University of St. Thomas, dedicated to educating leaders of faith and character, is a private institution committed to the liberal arts and to the religious, ethical and intellectual tradition of Catholic higher education. St. Thomas is Houston’s only Catholic University and was founded by the Basilian Fathers in 1947.